Best aero cycling helmets 2026 — invest in a road cycling lid that cuts drag without sacrificing comfort

The Abus Gamechanger was one of our all-time favourite helmets thanks in part to its extra sleek fit and the Abus Gamechanger 2.0 Mips is an update on this previous model including a new Mips Air Node System, a magnetic Fidlock buckle, and the “best glasses retention in a helmet I’ve ever used”, says tester Josh. The 2.0 looks pretty similar, having much the same sleek and non-bulging look. 

Abus also says it has improved aerodynamics – it’s wider at the rear and uses an ‘Aero Blade’ grid structure to improve airflow. There’s no way we can measure or verify this sort of thing, but it certainly looks fast.

Tester Josh said, “Perhaps my favourite feature of the lid is its ability to hold sunglasses, should you not want to wear them. I wear Oakley Sutros, and I’ve never felt as though I’ve been able to store them safely in any of my helmets – it always feels like there’s a chance of them falling out when looking around”. 

Giro claims that the Eclipse Spherical road helmet is 163.5 seconds quicker than the Aether Spherical…over 100 miles…at 25mph… which is useful… You’ve got to love pro average speeds! Giro says that this is both the fastest road helmet and the coolest aero road helmet it has ever created, our only slight niggle is its compatibility with long-armed sunnies, we found that a few interfered.

Many aero helmets can suffer from poorer ventilation than non-aero designs, but the Giro Eclipse performs well on this front thanks to those large front vents and the Roc Loc 5 retention system that holds the helmet slightly above the skull.

Like many of the helmets featured here, the Eclipse Spherical helmet benefits from Mips technology for a claimed improvement in rotational protection. 

The HJC Furion 2.0 Semi-Aero Helmet is, as the name suggests, a ‘semi-aero’ road helmet that has a degree of ventilation. Weighing in at 218g on the road.cc scales of truth, it’s very light for an aero helmet. If it’s great ventilation you’re after though, Ed who reviewed this helmet didn’t find it to be the most well-ventilated aero helmet. 

What this helmet lacks in ventilation, it gains in comfort, weight, and aerodynamics. The Furion 2.0 features a Selfit securing mechanism which is an automatic self-adjusting fitting system so that once the helmet fit is set, it doesn’t require further adjustment, even when your head is moving during a ride. 

HJC claims the Furion 2.0 saves 7% energy during your ride compared with the competition and tester Ed said the helmet felt pretty aerodynamic, though this is something we can’t subjectively test. 

Kask’s Protone Icon Helmet is a superb road helmet that’s light, airy and comfortable. It offers such impressive ventilation that it’s debatable whether it truly is an “aero” helmet but it was developed in a wind tunnel and Kask says that is balances “performance, aerodynamics and safety”, rating it a 4/5 for both aerodynamics and ventilation. 

The Protone Icon is an evolution of the Protone helmet and Kask says it’s an improvement on its predecessor “in every way possible”. Structurally, the Protone Icon employs what Kask calls an ‘innovative inner strengthening frame’, which theoretically affords greater mechanical strength and Kask has used its own in-house Kask WG11 test.

The Protone Icon weighs in at an impressive 223g on our scales only adding to the comfort of the Octofit system.

Kask’s Utopia Y is an aero helmet which still creates a decent airflow, while keeping the weight low. Tester Stu said, “the three front vents create a refreshing breeze over your head, while the ‘scoops’ let air flow around the sides. Warm air is ported out of the back”. 

Kask says, “The original Utopia helmet raised the bar for optimised aerodynamics and ventilation, which remain central to the Utopia Y”. The difference with this updated version being that is has the Octofit+ adjustment system which gives a good range of adjustment both up and down for the cradle.

Overall, the quality and fit of the Utopia Y is excellent. There are three sizes available, covering head sizes of 50cm to 62cm.

Kask’s Wasabi is a quirky helmet designed for all seasons and to some extent all riders – road and gravel being two key audiences. Unlike a traditional helmet, the Wasabi employs panels that can be opened or closed depending on how much airflow you want.

Whilst this model might not appeal to everyone, Kask says, “the shape is configured for optimal aerodynamic efficiency.” Whilst we can’t validate these claims, their wind tunnel testing confirmed that “less than one watt was lost between an open and closed vent when riding at a speed of 50 km/h.” 

The Wasabi blends performance and comfort and employs an internal ‘floating cradle’ system called ‘Octo Fit’, designed to assume the wearer’s head shape, with fit fine-tuned via the familiar thumbwheel dial. Gel pads provide optimal support and are reckoned to be adjustable to any head shape.

The Lazer Vento KinetiCore helmet is an impressive and innovative helmet that mixes decent airflow with a new fitting system and good looks, and avoids giving you the mushroom-head look of some aero helmets.

This is a helmet that’s designed to be fastest in a sprint position with a head angle of 15° angle, as this is where an aero helmet is likely to make the most difference for most road riders this is a theory we can get behind!

The KinetiCore system here is billed as a ‘MIPS killer’ and instead of allowing (controlled) independent rotation of your head and the helmet, this uses EPS foam crumple zones to disperse impact energy. Tester George said, “the new KinetiCore system works really well on the bike and – at least according to the independent lab testing it – in a crash too”. 

The Met Manta Mips Aero Road is the helmet of choice for Tadej Pogačar and UAE Team Emirates, offering a good blend of aero performance and ventilation. It also impresses with its weight and comfort, and is nicely integrated with Mips protection. 

We can’t verify the aero claims, but Met says there are up to “4W improvements at 33, 55 and 80 km/h in a wind tunnel.” Interestingly, it seems that Met only tested it at zero degrees yaw, but did simulate riding both on the hoods and in the drops.

We don’t have access to a wind tunnel, nor a sophisticated air convection test here at road.cc, but we were able to test it out on the road! Our reviewer Leon said, it was fast-feeling (compared to his lightweight climber’s helmet) and surprisingly airy, with enough ventilation to regulate the temperature on a warm British summer’s day. 

You’ll normally spot the Met Trenta 3K Carbon Mips with a few tufts of hair sticking out the top of it as Pogačar wins everything from classics to mountain top finishes wearing one.

Met says that the Trenta 3K Carbon Mips is “perfectly vented for hot conditions and extreme efforts while offering high performance aerodynamics and of course Mips safety”. Met have recently added Mips to the Trenta and have managed to do so without adding tons of additional weight, in fact, just 3g and our size small weighed in at just 223g, that’s lighter than many non-aero helmets. 

There is a cheaper, non-carbon version that offers the same aerodynamic claims, safety and ventilation but is slightly heavier.

Specialized says that the S-Works Evade 3 helmet is “the most aero road helmet in the peloton”, and you’ll see this helmet in the pro peloton on the heads of BORA-Hansgrohe and Soudal Quick-Step riders.  

If you want an aero helmet that you can wear for all kinds of riding, the Evade 3 is a top option. Reviewer Stu said, “For such a minimal number of vents it really does keep you surprisingly cool and the comfort of the fit is very impressive”. In days gone by wearing an aero helmet was a sweaty, hot and uncomfortable experience but the latest generation Evade continues to close the gap between aero and ventilated helmets.

Compared to the Evade 2, this lid claims to draw 10% more air across the head thanks in a large part to the Mips Air Node system that you’ll find inside, on all but the hottest days or steepest of climbs, the Evade 3 kept our reviewer, Stu, cool. Not only that but this new version looks less “mushroomy” when worn!

Trek’s Ballista Mips aero helmet is the choice of Lidl-Trek’s Mads Pedersen and it’s a slimmed-down but similar sort of design to many time-trial aero helmets but offers impressive cooling for such a small amount of venting. 

Trek says the Ballista Mips is the “fastest, most aerodynamic helmet that will save big watts and shave crucial seconds”. How fast? Well, without a wind tunnel that is pretty much impossible to say, but in use, tester Stu said, “When hunkered down in the drops as low as I could go, I did find the Ballista sat well, with the aero tail flat towards my back, and the front allowing good vision for looking forwards”.

The retention system is also easily adjustable, giving a great fit, and you get the bonus of Mips tech too. The dial system for adjustment uses just a small plastic section at the back, as opposed to a band running all the way around the sides of your head like on most top-end helmets. Here the helmet has a Boa wire (just like the Boa system on your shoes) to adjust the fit, and it does that with no pressure at all which makes for good comfort, as well as plenty of adjustment.